Matt Thornton: Violence, Jiu-Jitsu, and Fatherhood
KEY MOMENTS
0:00 – Intro and welcoming Matt Thornton
1:12 – Rokas and leaving aikido behind
2:16 – Lou's Jeet Kune Do days
3:27 – Matt's search for what works in fights
5:12 – Meeting Rickson Gracie at a seminar
7:20 – Training jiu-jitsu as a big guy
9:45 – Eye pokes and dirty fighting myths
12:56 – Jiu-jitsu and police training
15:11 – Rising crime and policing cuts in Portland
17:27 – Antifa riots in Portland
19:27 – Where Portland's unrest is headed
21:18 – Lou's run-in with a masked neighbor
24:52 – Jake Paul and social media call-outs
27:18 – Joking with UFC fighters on Twitter
29:35 – Traditional martial arts and aliveness
32:37 – Hate mail and attachment to training methods
34:38 – The Gracie Challenge videos
35:52 – Street fights and multiple attackers
38:56 – What rolling reveals about yourself
42:55 – Surviving, failing, and growing on the mat
44:02 – Spiritual experiences and Sam Harris
47:36 – The new atheists and leaving the movement
50:15 – An era of good-faith debate
54:02 – Fatherhood and making time for family
58:03 – Reactions to a police shooting of a teen
1:01:52 – How dangerous knives are
1:04:02 – Parents, police, and consequences
1:05:40 – Matt's upcoming book and wrap-up
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Martial artist Matt Thornton joins Lou to talk about violence, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, aliveness versus traditional martial arts, and fatherhood.
We also get into leaving aikido behind, Lou's Jeet Kune Do days, meeting Rickson Gracie, eye pokes and dirty fighting myths, jiu-jitsu and police training, Antifa riots and rising crime in Portland, Lou's run-in with a masked neighbor, Jake Paul, the Gracie Challenge videos, street fights and multiple attackers, what rolling reveals about yourself, Sam Harris and the new atheists, an era of good-faith debate, and how dangerous knives really are.